America East - Media business and technology conference

America East: Where newspapers and technology meet

by
Cara Neil | Dec 14, 2016

The 2017 America East Media Business and Technology Conference, administered by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and scheduled April 10-12 at the Hershey Lodge, is poised to offer a powerful session lineup for anyone working in the news media industry. Featuring workshops, 20+ sessions, two awards presentations, various networking receptions and a robust trade show floor, America East offers affordable registrations ranging from exhibits-only passes to single-day badges to full-time.

Session highlights include:

Keynote presentation - Margaret Sullivan, media columnist, The Washington Post. In today’s rapidly-changing political, economic and news media environment, the U.S. media is grappling with titanic change on a scale never seen before. Sullivan is uniquely suited to address these issues; her speech to America East will address many of the enormous issues and challenges facing those in attendance.

Small But Mighty: Community Newspapers Doing Things Right - A panel of smaller community publishers talks about what makes them successful and how they’re changing (or not changing) their businesses to keep up with audiences and advertisers. Do smaller papers need to be as digitally savvy as their metro cousins? Or does print still rule small towns?

The Philadelphia Story: A Laboratory for the Future of News - Over the past few years, Philadelphia has become one of the most fascinating local news markets in the nation. Get an inside look at this highly competitive market from some of its most prominent players.

Innovation at The Washington Post - The session will include a deep dive into how The Post is pursuing new forms of storytelling and content: video, podcasts, multimedia, Snapchat, etc.

Leveraging the Legacy - Amid the digital revolution, print remains a mainstay of newspaper organizations, and their longtime brand names still hold sway in their community. How can an organization leverage and build on this legacy of brand and community penetration?

Technology Trends to Watch - Enjoy a wide-ranging discussion of such new technologies as chatbots, voice-controlled devices, virtual reality, wearables, autonomous cars, and many other cutting-edge technologies that will be changing our businesses before we know it.

Dive Into the Shark Tank - Bring your best ideas for innovative new businesses and new products and put them through a one-day wringer that starts with the idea and ends with a business plan presentation to industry experts. We’ll give you a crash course in how to develop, evaluate and present your ideas.

A Digital Opportunities Workshop hosted by LMA and led by Jed Williams, Chief Innovation Officer, will identify top disruptive bets in local media and selling strategies for diverse needs.

New collaborations:

We are pleased to announce that the Great Lakes Mid-States Newspaper Conference will be joining the 2017 America East Media Business & Technology Conference. Additional print and production -focused attendee sessions will be sponsored by GLMS on Tuesday, April 11, along with a networking reception and roundtable discussion with production vendors.

Attendees can expect a diverse portfolio of vendors on the show floor this year, offering solutions to meet their needs on the production and technology sides of the business.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Tricia Greyshock at triciag@pa-news.org or at (717) 703-3070.